Dispensing cap



Dec. 21, 193?. SALVESEN mmwm DISPENSING CAP Filed March 8, 1937 PatentedDec. 21, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to dispensing caps especially adapted forcontainers for mucilage and the like of that type employing a spreaderwith means for automatically feeding mucilage to the spreader when thecontainer is in an inverted position andwhen the spreader is placed incontact with the surface to be treated.

The object of my invention is to provide a dispensing cap of simple,durable and inexpensive construction with improved means for feeding thefluid from within the container to the spreader, without the use ofvalves or springs, andso constructed that the device will always bemaintained in workable condition.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a dispensing cap ofthe type above described, improved means for controlling the flow of thefluid from the container on which the cap is mounted.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated areattained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims,and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the upper end of a containerwith my improved cap applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of another form of cap showing thecontainer in an inverted position, and the manner in which the spreaderis applied to a surface being treated to cause the fluid to be releasedfrom the container.

. Figure 3 is a sectional view of a modified form of my device.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of .another modified form.

Figure 5 is a sectional viewof a modified form of my device.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6'6 of Figure 4.

Figure? is a top view'of my improved cap showing the manner in which thespreader may be bent laterally to collapse the same and to provide anoutlet opening for the fluid within the container.

In the drawing the reference numeral In indicates the upper end of acontainer, such as a mucilage bottle, having a neck portion H, the outersurface of which is provided with threads l2. Supported on the upper endof the neck ll is a disk-like web l3 having a central opening l4 andopenings l5 to permit fluid from within the container It] to flow intothe chamber l6 of the cap 11, said cap being preferably in the shape ofa truncated cone having its truncated end provided with an opening l8and its base provided With an annular and threaded flange IQ forreceiving the neck portion l I. The base of the cap I! has a shoulder 20to rest on a washer or packing strip 2| which in turn is supported onthe upper surface of the web I 3.

The openings I 4 and I8 are preferably of the same diameter and areadapted to support a spreader device 22, which is preferably in the formof a rubber tube having its upper end closed .andflattened, the lowerend being open and terminating within the interior of the container 0.The lower end of the member 22is preferably provided with annularflanges 23 for anchoring the lower end of the member 22 firmly in theweb I3.

I have found that a short piece of rubber tubing of a diameter slightlygreater than the diameter of the openings l4 and I5 serves the purposevery well, with the upper end collapsed and sealed to form a wedgeshaped member, as illustrated, the tube fitting the hose so as to forman air-tight joint. It will readily be seen that if the upper endof themember 22 is bent laterally, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure1, the tube will' be bent-over the truncated end of the cone I! as afulcrum, and if sufficient pressure is applied, will 'collapse'so thatan opening'24 will be formed between {the collapsed side of the tube andone edge of the opening It, as illustrated in Fig. 7.

By this arrangement it will be seen that if the container I0 is invertedand the member 22 placed against the surface to be treated withmucila'ge, or similar substance, and lateral and downward pressure isapplied, then the member 22' will become partially collapsed and anopening 25 formed, as illustrated in Figure 2, permitting a portionof'the'mucilage to flow through the opening 25'to'the surface 26 infront of the spreader 22. As the member 22 is collapsed while in aninverted position, a portion of the air within said tube will be forcedupwardly into the container, thereby permitting air to replace theliquid flow from the container. Of course, some air will enter theopening .25 as the container is moved to its uprightjposition, which airwill then. enter the tube 22' when the said container is in its uprightposition, at which time the fluid level is below the lower end of thetube.

In Figure 2 the cap" I! is secured to the container'2'l by placing thefree edge of the flange 28 in a groove 29formed in the neck of thecontainer.

In Figure 3 the cap 30 is similar to the cap l1,

with the exception that the truncated portion is inclined relative tothe base of the cap, thus providing a somewhat elliptical opening forreceiving the round tubular spreader member. By this arrangement, if thespreader is bent towards the lower end of the truncated surface, asillustrated in solid lines in Figure 3, then a comparatively largeropening 3| will be formed than would otherwise be formed if saidtruncated portion Was parallel with its base.

In Figure 4 the cap 32 is similar to the cap IT, with the exception thata different means is provided for securing the cap to the upper end ofthe container 33, said means comprising a threaded ring 34 having aflange S5 at its upper end designed to rest on the shoulder 36 formed onthe lower end of the cap portion 32. The web 31 has an eccentricallyarranged opening 38 for receiving the lower end of the spreader member39, so that the said spreader member is inclined relative to thetruncated end of the cap 32, as clearly illustrated. This accomplishesabout the same result as would be accomplished in the arrangementillustrated in Figure 3. However, the web 3'? may be rotated beneath thecap when assembling, so that the spreader 39 may be supported at variousinclinations to give the desired results.

In the previous constructions the web serves the purpose of supportingthe inner end of the spreader.

In Figure 5 I have illustrated a cap in which the web element iseliminated, in which case an opening 40 is provided in the upper end ofthe cap 4! and an opening A2 in the side of said cap, the spreaderelement being fed through both of said openings and having its lower endclosed at 43. The tubular member, or spreader, 44 is provided with anopening 45 communicating with the interior of the cap so as to permitthe spreader to collapse readily by allowing the air to be forcedtherefrom and alsov to regain its original position when pressureapplied to the spreader for collapsing the same has been released,allowine air to again enter the tube.

Thus it will be seen I have provided a simple, durable and inexpensivedispensing cap for mucilage bottles and similar containers, providedwith means for automatically feeding a fluid to the spreader as pressureis applied thereto while the container is in an inverted position, and adevice which will not become clogged or inoperative on account ofmucilage and other adhesive substances delivered by the dispensercollecting and filling the delivery opening, as is the case with anumber of dispensers which have heretofore been placed in public use.The cap I6 is made of metal, while the spreader is preferably made ofrubber. Dried mucilage does not adhere to a metal surface verytenaciously and will be broken loose at the time the tubular member iscollapsed, and on account of the tremendous relative movement betweenthe surface of the tube and the film collected thereon, will cause themucilage to loosen from the tube. In other words, the collapsing of thetube causes the tube to be expanded at certain portions and contractedat other portions, to such an extent that any surface tension betweenthe adhesive and the tube will be broken so that the collected adhesivewill be scaled off. In actual use of the device I have found nodifficulty, whatsoever, in clogging. The device is always in readinessfor operation Without any preliminary cleaning.

In the drawing I have illustrated only a few of the numerousmodifications to which my device is adapted. It will readily be seenthat the general principle is the same in all of the modifications andthat various modifications may be constructed without departing from thespirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a closure cap including an endportion having an opening, a flexible and collapsible tube mounted insaid opening for closing the same, one end of said tube being closed andprojecting outwardly and beyond said cap, the other end projectinginwardly thereof, and means fixing the inner end of said tube againstmovement whereby that portion of the tube supported within said openingwill be collapsed when bending strain is applied to the outer end ofsaid tube to form an opening through which fluid within said containermay be fed to the outer surface of the outer end of. said tube when thecontainer is in an inverted position.

2. In a device of the class described, a closure cap including an endportion having an opening, and a flange portion for receiving the neckportion of a container, a flexible and collapsible tube mounted in saidopening to snugly fit the same, said tube having one end closed,flattened and projecting outwardly from said cap and its other end openand projecting inwardly of said cap, and means fixing the inner end ofsaid tube against movement, whereby that portion of the tube supportedWithin said opening will be collapsed by bending its outer end laterallyto form an opening through which fluid from within said container may befed to the outer surface of said tube when the container is in aninverted position.

3. In a device of the class described, a cap having the shape of atruncated cone and provided with an opening in its truncated end, a webhaving a central opening, means for clamping the base of said cap andsaid web to the open end of a container for closing the same, and arubber tube having its inner end secured in the opening of said web andits opposite end closed and projecting through and beyond the open endof said cap.

4. In a device of the class described, a cap having the shape of atruncated cone and provided with an opening in its truncated end, saidend being inclined relative to its base, a web having a central opening,means for clamping the base of said cap and said web to the open end ofa container for closing the same, and a rubber tube having its inner endsecured in the opening of said web and its opposite end closed andprojecting through and beyond the open end of said cap.

5. A dispensing cap having the shape of a truncated cone and providedwith openings in its truncated end and one side, a rubber tube mountedthrough both of said openings, the upper end being closed, flattened andprojecting upwardly and beyond the truncated end of said cap.

6. A dispensing cap having an opening in its end, a web adapted to beclamped between the cap and the outer end of a container to which thecap is attached, and a flexible and collapsible tube supported in andsnugly fitting the opening of said cap and fixed in said web, having itsouter end closed.

7. A dispensing cap having an opening in its end, a flexible tubesupported in and snugly fitting the said opening, having its outer endclosed and extending beyond said cap and its inner end terminatingwithin said cap, and means for fixedly supporting the inner end of saidtube.

8. The combination of a container, a cap closing the open end of saidcontainer, said cap having an opening in one end, a flexible andcollapsible tube within said opening, having one end closed andprojecting beyond said cap, the inner end of said tube being opened andprojecting within said container, and a web having an openingeccentrically of its periphery for supporting the lower end of saidtube.

9. The combination of a container having an opening in one end, a secondopening in one side near said end, and a flexible member passed throughboth of said openings to close the same, said member being formed ofyieldable material whereby lateral movement of one end of said flexiblemember will cause said flexible member to be contracted within acorresponding one of said openings whereby an opening will be providedto permit material to leave or enter said container.

10. The combination of a container having an opening in one end, aspreader formed of contractible and yieldable material projectingthrough and closing said opening, having its inner end fixed and itsouter end free to move laterally, whereby lateral movement of the freeend of said spreader will cause that portion of the spreader within saidopening to be contracted and another opening formed between the spreaderand one side of the first said opening.

RICHARD E. SALVESEN.

